What do you get when you combine an NFL trailblazer, an Olympic sailing coach, and thousands of leaders from around the globe?
If you attended this week’s PI Dream Teams Summit, you already know. A half-day virtual event, the Dream Teams Summit brought together leaders, consultants, and talent optimization gurus from a range of industries. The topic: how to overcome obstacles as an organization and build dream teams.
If you missed out on the Summit, or are just hearing about it for the first time, no need to worry. Here’s a recap of everything covered at the event:
Sailing against the wind
The Summit opened with a powerful vignette: A sailboat sets off into the sun, only to hit choppy waters and rough winds.
Mike Zani, CEO of PI and 1996 U.S. Olympic sailing coach, knows that feeling in more ways than one. Just as a sailor must secure the rigging in the eye of a storm, a leader must guide their people through adversity. And 2020 provided plenty of adversity.
Sailing against the wind isn’t easy. But as several PI clients shared, it’s possible—with resilience, compassion, self-awareness, and team cohesion. And once you do learn how to fight the wind, your organization and people can come out even stronger than before.
Watch the full video below:
An interview with Katie Sowers
Next, Summit attendees learned from someone who’s no stranger to leading dream teams: NFL coach Katie Sowers.
Sowers has established herself as a trailblazer and icon. During her time with the San Francisco 49ers, Sowers helped propel the team to an NFC Championship win. In doing so, she made history as the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl.
In an extended interview with Mike Zani, Sowers detailed her path to the NFL. “Growing up, I knew I always wanted to be one of three things: a teacher, a coach, or a counselor,” she explained. “I figured out coaching was really all three combined.”
Sowers shared parallels between coaching in the NFL and building business teams with talent optimization. Both require a sense of awareness—the ability to help each team member be their best selves. And that starts with ensuring there’s passion, or a sense of “fit,” behind every role.
When scouting for talent, Sowers makes a point not to overemphasize prior accolades or college stats. She considers the whole person—their behavioral makeup, their attitude, and what they bring to the team’s culture.
“When you find those diamonds in the rough, you’re getting those sleepers that change the game,” she shared. “Those are the people who build a great team.”
Even with great talent, there are always obstacles to overcome. Whether that means injuries on the field, inequities off the court, or the challenges of COVID-19, Sowers finds it important to maintain a positive outlook. She put it best:
“There’s more to life than this game, but this game brings so much to this life.”
Catch the entire interview with Katie Sowers:
Introducing PI Design
The Summit culminated with the reveal of the latest innovation in talent optimization: PI Design™.
Central to PI Design is Team Discovery. In a matter of minutes, this tool helps you identify the unique behavioral style of your team, or Team Type. In this pivotal moment, you’ll learn how to lean into your team’s strengths and avoid potential pitfalls—so you can crush your 2021 goals.
Learn more about PI Design, and the dream teams it can help you build, below:
The learnings don’t stop there.
We hope you enjoyed the PI Dream Teams Summit and found some useful takeaways to bring back to your organization.
The Summit may be over, but the learning continues. Sign up for PI Learn, and gain access to even more resources from the Summit, including breakout sessions and educational courses.
